Toy electric railway



Jan. 18, 1927.

L- CARUSC TOY ELECTRIC RAILWAY F iled May 26 1925 2 Sheets$heet l l q INVENTOR Z 0/. 5 arm! 0 in-roan Jan. 18, 1921. 1,614,874 L. CARUSO TQY ELECTRIC RAILWAY Filed y 1925 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 b INVENTOR 5 I ATTORNEY Patented Jan. 18, i

; UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

nous cacao-.01? mvmo'ron, am'w -;nnssY .-assrenon T rm: 1.10m comm.- non, or raw Yonx, N. Y., a 'conronarrou or mzw YORK.

. rormorale Runway.

. Application mm 2a, was. mm no. 88,894.-

invention ammo toy electric rail way equipment. In connection with toy electric railways, accessories of various finds are employed'such as signal towers, swinging gates, automatic train control devices, and the like, which are furnished as separate units to be connected to the toy tracks. This invention is directed to an improved connector or binding device on WhlCh the accessory may. be mounted and whereby by direct mechanical connection of the binding device to the tracks, current is led to and from the rails to the accessory, an object of the invention being the rol5 vision of a device of the character described whereby said 'toy accessory may be easily and quickly connected to the system without requiring any separate attaching plates and lead wires running from the tracks to the accessory.

A further object of the invention is to provide a device of the character described with means whereby it may easily be adjusted to fit toy track rails of various gauges.

'A still further object is the provision in a device of the character described which shall be simple in construction, eas to con nect and 0 rate and practical an eflicient to a high egree for the purposes described.

Other objects of this invention will in part be obvious. and in part hereinafter pointed out.

i The invention accordingly consists in the features of construction, combinations of elements and arrangement of parts which' will be exemplified in the construction hereinafter described, and of which the scope of application will be indicated in the following claims. I

In the accom anying drawing, in which is shown one of the various possible illustrative embodiments of'this invention,

Fig. 1 is a embodiment o the invention as applied to a narrow gauge toy railway track;

Figs. 2 and 3 are'respectively side elevational and plan views of the installation shown in Fig. 1;

Figs. 4 and 5 are res ectively plan and side elevational views s owing a modified form of the invention as applied to a to railway track of wide gauge and in whic the connected device is made an integral perspective view showing an extension .of the base of the toyry suchas a signal tower;

Fig. 6 is a cross-sectional viewtaken on rails 10, 10 is secured to the cross ties by suitable clamps 15 which ma embrace insulation pieces 15. This t ird rail 13 is usually made in sections 13", 13', one of which is insulated so that atoy accessory may be electrically o erated therefrom when the toy train (not sliown) passes into said insulated section. The particular connections and the manner of operation of such accessory fronrthe insulated section form no part of 'this invention. A complete accessory in the form of an automatic train stopping and restarting device and the mannerof its operation is disclosed in'my copending application Serial No. 28,763 filed May 8, 1925. The main rails 10, 10' and third rail 13 referably are constructed to form standard track section units adapted to be joined together by means of a pin and socket connection as at 14.

The invention, contemplates the provision of a device having the advantages herein referred to and other obvious advantages whereby a tower railway accessory such as a signal tower, or the like ma be connected to a toy railway system suc as that just described, and which is more or less standard in construction.

Referring now to Figs. 1, 2 and 3, 16 indicates a device embodying the invention and which is seen to comprise a body portion 16' made of any suitable rigid matenal, for example sheet metal, fibre or the like, and a base portion 17 on which is mounted an accessory such as a signal tower 18 secured in place by screw bolts 19. Extendi from the base portion 17 is a yoke extension 20 having a cross connecting portion 20v between a pair of spaced arms 21 and 21, latter being of a length suflicient to reach the clips 34 and 34 is a grippingmember 26 sion 20 and current carrying stri' s 23. and

'23 disposed on the under side 0 arms 21 and 21 respectively. Thus the yoke extension 20 forms a structure'com rising'supe'r imposed layers which may be mly secured together by rivets or anchor eyelets 24, the g latter being insulated as at 24".

Thev current carrying-strips 23 and 23 extend beyond the free ends of the arms .21'

and 21" respectively and are upturned to form contact clips 34. and 349 respectively for engaging the rail-13. The ends of said strips opposite said contact clips are arranged to pass through openings 16" in-the upstandin oflset wall 16 in the body portion (see respectively of the toy accessory such as the signal tower 18, wherethrough current is sup lied to operate such accessory.

o-operating with and reacting against in the form of a first class lever pivoted at 27 directly on the cross connecting portion 20 of the yoke'extension 20. This pivot preferably extends through the said portion 20 for stiffening and reinforcin 'thelayer construction of the device 16. e lever 26 may be provided with a short and a long gripping end 26 and 26 respectively, for

engaging the flan e 10 either of the narrow or wide gauge rai 10 on the outside, i. e. the side remote from the third 'rail"13, as-will hereinafter appear, while the ower end 26 of the lever is deflected upwar ly and thence outwardly and horizontally so as to'enable the lever to be readily manipulated. I

The body portion 16" extending over theyoke arms 21 and 21 may be cut away at the portions normally underlying the rail 10 to provide substantially" level surfaces 28 and-28 with supporting surfaces29 and 29 adjacent the clips 24 and 24 respectively, and vertically disposed side walls 16 may be provided for supporting the device 16 at the proper height with relation to the track structure.

In using the invention for connecting the signal tower 1801' other accessory to a narrow gauge track system (see Figs. 1, 2' and '3) the accessory is mounted on and secured to the base 17, the yoke arms 21 and 21'-are projected beneath the rail 10 and 13 farenough to. permit the clips 34 and 34" to embrace the flange 13of the third rail 13,

and the le ver' 26 then manipulated so that the long gripping end '26," engages the. flange 10" of the rail. 10 .to'firmly and positively anchor the device to the tracks.

Thus the current carrying strips 23 and ig. 2) and connect with the-ex-. ternal binding or terminal posts 25 and 25 23 through their correspondingclips 34 and 34c respectively are each brought in' close contact with insulated spaced rail sections 13 and 13'? of the third rail 13, one of said sections forming partof an insulated track section in conjunction withlwhich the tower 18 operates] Said track portion 13 and 13 may be separated by an insulated pin 14* as shown in'Figs. 1,- 3'and 4. The lever 26' connecting with the rail. 10 serves as a structure of the tower base 18.

By. connecting the end of the strips 23 and 23 adjacent the tower base 18 to the terminal posts 25 and 25 respectively, current may be led to and from any electrically operated mechanism (not shown) in the tower 18.

To remove the tower 18 and device 16 from the system, the lever 26 is sim ly swung to the dotted position shown in .B ig 3 for releasing the device 16 which may then be detached from the track.

In Figs. 4, 5 and 6 is showna modified form of the invention in which the attaching device 30 (corresponding to device 16 in Figs. 1, 2 and 3) is preferably constructed integrally with the tower base. 18*. If desired, the'binding posts 25 and 25 ma be 6,the device is'illustrated as applied to a wide gauge track, the lever 26 having been -manipulated so that short gripping end 26 thereofengages with the flange 10 of the track 10.

The device 30 with the tower 18 may be attached or removed as a unit. from the track system in the manner already de-' scribed It will thus be seen that there is provided a device in which the several objects of this invention are achieved and which is well adapted to meet the conditions of practical use.

As various ossible embodiments might be made. of the above invention, and as various changes might be made in the embodiment above set forth, it is to be understood that all matter herein set forth or shown in the accompanying drawing is to be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense.

Having thus described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent 1. In combination with a toy railway track system, an electrically operated accessory having a device extending therefrom ounded current carrying means to' the 'for' detachably connecting the accessory to porated in said device for conducting the current from and to the tracks to the accessory.

4. ln'combination, toy railway tracks, an

electricall operated accessory having a base,

a device ormed integral with the base for detachably securing the accessory to said tracks, and current carrying means incorporated in'said device for conducting the current from and to the tracks to the accessory, said device having adjustable means adapted to interlock with the tracks of various gauges.

5. In a to railway e uipment, track rails, an electrically'operated accessory having a conductor terminal and a device for detachably mounting the accessory to-said rails, said device having means insulated thereon for connecting one of said tracks to said terminal to permit the current to pass to and from'the accessory.

6. In a toy railway equipment, track rails having an insulated rail section, and electrically operated accessor having conductor terminals, a device for etachably securing the accessory to said rails, spaced current carrying parts insulated from and supported on said device for connecting the track rails and said insulated railsection to said terminals to permit the current to pass to and from the accessory.

7. The toy railway equipment defined in claim 5 in which the accessory includes a base and the structural vice are formed integral y with said base.

portions of the de- 8. The toy railway equipment defined in claim 6 in which the accessory is made with a base having the structural portion of the device formed integral therewith.

9. A toy railway system comprising sectional track rails, one section being insulated from the remaining sections, an electrically operated accessory, and a device for detachably connecting the accessory tosaid track rails, said device having spaced current carrying and gripping parts for engaging with the said track rails and section to permit the current to pass to and from the accessory.

l0.' A toy railway system comprising sectional track rails, one section being insulated from the remaining sections, an electrically operated accessory, and a devicefor detachably connecting the accessory to said track rails, said device having spaced current carrying and gripping parts for engaging with the said track rails and sections to permit the current to pass to and from the accessory, and adjustable means included in said gripping parts adapted to interlock with track rails of various gauges.

11. In a toy railway e uipment, track rails, an electrically operate accessory having a conductor terminal and a device for detachably mountin the accessory to said rails, said device having adjustable grippin means adapted to engage with track rails 0 various gauges, portions of said means connecting one of said rails with said terminal 'to permit the current to pass to and from the accessory.

12. In a toy railway equipment, track rails having an insulated rail section, an electrically operated accessory having conductor terminals, a device for detachably securing the accessory to said rails, spaced current carrying parts insulated from and supported on said device for connecting the track rails and said insulated rail section to said terminals to permit the current to pass to and from the accessory, said device having adjustable means adapted to interlock with track rails of various gauges.

In testimony whereof I afiix my signature.

LOUIS CARUSO. 

